About The NENCPPH

What is the Partnership?

The Northeastern North Carolina Partnership for Public Health (NENCPPH) was formed in 1999 to improve the health of people in the Northeastern region of North Carolina and to maximize the available resources and service potential of local health departments by working together to address health needs.

The Partnership is guided by a governing board comprised of the Directors from seven local health departments which serve 16 counties in Northeastern North Carolina, as well as representatives from the North Carolina Division of Public Health, the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at the University of North Carolina, and the Department of Public Health at East Carolina University.

Funding for the Partnership has come from outside, as well as local, sources. In 2002, the NENCPPH received a federal grant that funded a demonstration project to explore a regional approach to the delivery of core public health functions. These funds supported a Regional Epidemiologist, Regional Health Educator/Health Disparities Coordinator and half-time Director through April 2006. The membership continues to support a half-time Coordinator through annual dues and per capita assessments.

Most recently, the NENCPPH received a grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation for a Racial Equity Institute Phase I training to be offered in Northeastern North Carolina. The NENCPPH has also been able to use funds from the North Carolina Institute for Public Health to support attendance at the Injury-Free NC Academy focusing on prescription drug poisoning and overdose, the creation of a Rabies CME Course, the implemenation of Regional Immunization Meetings and Conference, Faithful Families Eating Smart and Moving More materials and funds for food demonstrations, and an intern to record the historical overview of the NENCPPH. The Partnership also used NCIPH funds to update its health assessment of the region. In 2013, the NENCPPH was awarded Community Transformation Grant funding to promote healthy lifestyles through billboards, gas pump toppers, and newspaper advertisements. In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Promotion awarded the Albemarle Health Services, on behalf of the NENCPPH, funding for Partners to Improve Community Health (PICH) to reduce tobacco use and improve nutrition. Two Regional Coordinators were hired - which were the catalysts for the formation of the regional PICH Coalitions to address Tobacco-Free Living and Healthy Foods.

Prior to that, the NENCPPH received funds from the NC Division of Public Health to support its heart disease/stroke prevention project and funds from the Health and Wellness Trust Fund for a Regional Teen Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program in the high schools, a College Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program in the region’s community colleges and Chowan University, and an Obesity/Diabetes Prevention and Control Program in African American churches. The NC Office of Minority Health provided funds for the HIV Disease Prevention planning and prostate cancer awareness campaign. The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust Fund provided augmentation funds for a medical van. The NC General Assembly also awarded funds to the Partnership in 2004 and 2005 to improve the public health infrastructure in the region and to conduct health information campaigns to prevent Obesity and Diabetes.

The NENCPPH's governing board oversees all activities. Participating health departments provide the fiduciary management of the Partnership's funds, space and other resources for regional staff.

Why was the NENCPPH formed?

Since 1999, the members of the governing board have been exploring a regional approach to providing core public health functions, which are:

1. Assessing community health needs and health issues

2. Addressing those needs and issues by developing policies and programs

3. Assuring availability and accessibility of health services to the entire population

In more recent years, the health departments in this region, like many others in rural areas, have had to invest more time, money and effort in providing direct health services (core function 3), and, as a result, have been unable to adequately address the other primary functions (core functions 1 and 2). The region’s health departments are especially challenged because out of the 16 counties making up the Partnership, 13 of them, or 81% (2018), are designated as “Tier One” counties, meaning they are among the most economically depressed in North Carolina. In addition, compared to the rest of the state, mortality rates from many illnesses are elevated in this region.

A printer-friendly summary of the Partnership is available by clicking here: